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THE Commonwealth has torpedoed gay unions in the nation's
capital by scuttling ACT Government laws allowing civil unions
before they could take effect.

In a dramatic show of its power, the Federal Government
yesterday killed the ACT laws weeks earlier than expected after the
Territory fast-tracked the laws to allow civil unions before the
Commonwealth moved to quash them.

But the Commonwealth still has a fight on its hands with
opposition parties yesterday promising to introduce a federal
parliamentary motion negating its disallowance of the ACT laws.

And if that doesn't work, the ACT Government has vowed to
consider reintroducing a civil union bill into the Territory
Parliament.

"We will pursue all options to provide equality under the law
for people in same sex relationships," ACT Attorney-General Simon
Corbell said.

The drama unfolded when at 9.15am yesterday the Speaker for the
ACT Assembly, Wayne Berry, made an unprecedented visit to the
Australian Governor-General to plead with him not to disallow the
Civil Unions Act.

Less than two hours later, Governor-General Michael Jeffery
signed a disallowance of the Bill on the instruction of Federal
Attorney-General Philip Ruddock and Territories Minister Jim
Lloyd.

Mr Berry had asked the Commonwealth to use its powers under the
ACT Self Government Act to amend the civil union laws rather than
simply scrap them.

But Mr Ruddock said while the Government had considered the
ACT's request it "resolved that the more appropriate course was to
disallow the measure" because it was "deliberately intended to make
the ACT arrangements as close as possible to marriage; when the
marriage power is clearly vested in the Commonwealth".

The Act, "providing as it did for civil celebrants, for a
ceremony; and adopting other characteristics of marriage, was quite
provocative", he said.

There was discord within the Coalition over the move. Sources
said former ACT Chief Minister and now Federal Liberal Senator Gary
Humphries had criticised the steamrolling of the ACT in a Coalition
party meeting yesterday. But conservatives such as Liberal Senator
Guy Barnett and Nationals Senator Ron Boswell applauded the
Government's decisive action.

Even Federal Liberal MP Warren Entsch, a vocal supporter of gay
rights, blamed the ACT Government for politicising the issue. "I'm
disappointed that the ACT Government has done this. They knew darn
well that by making any reference or parallel to marriage they
wouldn't get the laws through. Whether you agree with that or not,
that's the reality."

Mr Entsch, who plans to move a bill removing legal
discrimination against homosexuals, said, "My issue is in no way
connected with the silly bloody games being played by the ACT."

Despite the Government quashing the Civil Unions Act, Mr Entsch
said: "The Prime Minister, the Attorney-General and the Treasurer
all agree there should not be any discrimination (against gay
people) and they're looking very, very seriously at what I've put
up."

CALLING IN THE GOVERNOR-GENERAL

9.15am The Speaker of the ACT Assembly, Wayne Berry, meets
Governor-General Michael Jeffery and urges him not to disallow the
ACT's civil union legislation. Instead he asks that the
Commonwealth suggest amendments to make the law acceptable to the
Federal Government. The Governor-General passes the request to the
Commonwealth Government.

11am Attorney-General Philip Ruddock and Minister for
Territories Jim Lloyd arrive at Government House and together with
the Governor-General move to disallow the ACT laws permitting civil
unions.

12.30pm Attorney-General Philip Ruddock announces the ACT Civil
Unions Act will cease to have effect from midnight last night.